Chapter 1
The house at Ashby Park loomed over the carriage like a great beast that demanded respect, if not fear.
Alice Voss pressed the tips of her fingers against the cool glass as she took a deep breath and composed herself.
Her breath almost caught in her throat as the carriage came to a full stop, giving her an uninterrupted view of the house’s many windows.
“Mama, have we arrived?” Clara’s innocent voice drew Alice’s attention back inside the carriage as the wheels came to a jolting stop.
Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, Alice turned her gaze on her five-year-old daughter and smiled. “Yes, I think we have. Would you like to have a look before we exit the carriage?” She asked in an encouraging tone, knowing how curious her daughter was about their new living arrangement.
Clara nodded, causing her deep chestnut curls to bounce as she leaned forward and allowed her mother to pull her onto her lap.
She was the spitting image of her mother with big green eyes that turned gray when she cried.
The only difference between them was her button nose that she had inherited from her father.
Edmund.
Alice felt a lump forming in her throat as she pulled her daughter onto her lap and lifted her slightly to get a better look at Ashby House.
It had been almost a year since her husband had died, and she still found it hard to accept the fact that it was just the two of them now.
She leaned in closer and breathed in the scent of her daughter's hair.
Love. She always smells like love.
The thought brought her solace as she tucked her daughter under her chin.
“Look, Mama! There is a fountain!” Clara chortled excitedly and pressed her cheek against the windowpane.
Alice laughed softly as she pulled her daughter back and placed her beside her on the seat. “It does look impressive, does it not? I wonder how many rooms there are. Perhaps you and I can count them all when we have a day off. How does that sound?”
Clara nodded, yet there were questions in her eyes that went far beyond her five years.
“Is something the matter?” Alice tilted her head to the side as she fixed Clara’s little white socks and buckled her shoes.
She had taken great care to select only the finest items of clothing for their introduction to Lady Ashby.
Her own black dress was simple and neat.
Practical, yet distinguished enough to mark her as a companion to a lady.
Wrinkling her little nose in concern, Clara frowned. “Will Aunt Mary be joining us?” Her little voice was steeped in concern.
Alice shook her head. “I am afraid not, my dearest. It will only be you and me with Lady Ashby, but I am certain that she will visit us when she has the chance. After all, it is because of her that we were able to secure this position.”
Mary Ellsworth was a dear friend of Alice’s.
She was not related to her either by blood or marriage, but Clara had come to think of her as Aunt Alice and always referred to her as such.
It was Mary who had suggested the position with Lady Ashby and had written the letter of recommendation that had secured Alice’s position.
Clara’s little face fell, but she simply hung her head.
Reaching out, Alice gently touched her cheek and smiled. “I know you miss her, dearest, but we must be brave. There will be a lot of new people to meet.”
Pulling herself up straight, Clara instantly smiled as she lifted her head. She was uncommonly social for her age and always loved meeting new people, no matter their stations or situations in life.
Alice’s thin smile broadened as she nodded toward the door. “Shall we go and meet everyone?”
Her daughter nodded enthusiastically just as a footman stepped forward and opened the carriage door.
Stepping from the carriage, Alice instantly reached for her daughter’s hand and held it tight.
Ashby House seemed far more daunting up close than it had from inside the carriage.
The building itself was far grander than any house that Alice had ever seen.
The windows were too numerous to count, along with the high buttresses that gave the house the look of a cathedral.
The large stone steps leading up to the polished front doors were flanked on either side by two giant eagles that held their wings open in a protective embrace.
“Welcome to Ashby Park, Mrs. Voss. Her ladyship is waiting for you in the parlor.” The footman drew her attention back to reality.
“Oh, of course, thank you. We shall not keep her ladyship waiting any longer.” Alice gently tugged on Clara’s hand and coaxed her forward as they passed the giant stone fountain.
“Are there fish, Mama?” Clara asked enthusiastically as she craned her neck to try to get a better look.
Not wanting to keep Lady Ashby waiting any longer, Alice gently pulled her. “I think we can find out when we go on one of our walks. How does that sound?”
Clara sighed heavily, but stopped craning her neck as they neared the stone steps and took them two at a time.
It did not take them long to reach the front doors, where a second footman was waiting to usher them inside. “Welcome to Ashby Park, Mrs. Voss,” he said in the same cool manner as the previous footman.
“Thank you…” Alice barely had time to respond when the footman gestured for her to follow.
The inside of Ashby House was just as grand as the exterior, and equally as daunting. The polished marble flooring reflected her slender figure and neat hair as her heels clicked a path across the foyer, echoing in the distance.
The grand chandelier that hung from the ceiling boasted more candles than she had even thought possible. Even the spiraling staircase left her in awe as she wondered how many maids were employed in the house. It must have taken quite an effort to keep things as neat and polished as they looked.
Stepping from the foyer, the footman led them down another passage until they entered a smaller, yet still large parlor. “Mrs. Voss and her daughter, Clara, your ladyship.” The man bowed and left almost as quickly as he had ushered them in.
Things certainly are efficient around here.
Alice watched him leave in amazement, yet her attention was quickly drawn back to the lady of the house.
“I see that you have arrived in one piece. I trust that the journey was not too arduous?”
Lady Ashby pursed her impossibly thin lips, causing fine lines to appear at the corner of her mouth.
Her stature was short and plump. Her white hair had been pulled back into a tight bun, and Alice could not help but feel intimidated at how strict the woman looked.
Her dark brown eyes seemed to track her every move as Alice hurriedly curtsied and encouraged her daughter to do the same.
“The journey was quite pleasant, thank you, my lady. It is a pleasure to be welcomed into your beautiful home.” She came up straight with a warm smile, hoping that her pounding heart would not give her away.
Unlike her daughter, Alice never relished the thought of meeting new people and seldom ever trusted them.
Lady Ashby huffed a response, yet her eyes softened slightly when they landed on Clara.
“And this must be little Clara whom I have heard so much about. Miss Ellsworth spoke quite fondly of her…” Her voice lingered for a moment, but she said nothing further as she glanced past Alice to the other end of the room.
“And this is my niece, Miss Cecily Ashby.”
Alice turned to see a young girl of roughly twenty-and-one making her way toward them. She had been so quiet that Alice had not even noticed her presence.
The young girl seemed downcast despite the defiance in her brilliant blue eyes.
Her long blonde hair was sun-kissed and her skin slightly tanned, a stark contrast to Alice’s pale complexion.
“How do you do, Mrs. Voss?” She asked quietly as she seemed to sum Alice up with equal amounts of curiosity and uncertainty.
“I am well, thank you, Miss Ashby,” Alice answered in an equally quiet manner, making her wonder if Cecily was a kindred spirit. She seemed sad and withdrawn, yet there was something lingering in her gaze.
Hurt. Perhaps.
Lady Ashby cut the introduction short as she barked.
“Now that all of the introductions have been made, we can move on to the finer points. “Miss Ellsworth did inform me of your daughter’s arrival as well, but I am afraid that there is no governess in the house. She will have to keep herself occupied while you are performing your duties.”
“I can assure you, my lady, that Clara is quite capable of occupying her own time,” Alice added quickly.
Following her mother’s lead, Clara screwed up her little face. “I will not be a bother, my lady.”
Alice’s heart swelled with pride as even Lady Ashby nodded.
“Good, see to it that you are not,” she turned her attention back to Alice. “I shall allow you several hours in the mornings to see to her education. You may make use of the library and even the nursery for your needs.”
“Thank you, my lady, that is most generous of you indeed.” Alice curtsied again, thankful for the understanding she was receiving despite the lady’s direct and distinguished manners.
Lady Ashby narrowed her eyes slightly as she seemed to size Alice up. “How long has it been since your husband died?” Her eyes moved over Alice’s black dress.
“Eight months, my lady. Precisely.” She inclined her head respectfully.
“So, you shall be back to colors in four months and a day.” She stated rather than asked.
“Yes, my lady.” Alice felt her chest clench. She did not know how much of her story Mary had told the older woman, but she hoped and prayed that the scandal following her husband’s death had not been mentioned.
Lady Ashby nodded. “Very well, there is one more thing that I must mention before you are shown to your lodgings. My niece will be attending social events while she is staying with me, and she will need a chaperone. I would accompany her myself, but I suffer from a rheumatic inconvenience in my left foot.” She lifted her chin with dignity and sniffed.
“Gatherings tire me, and as such, I shall ask you to accompany her.”
Alice looked to the young girl, who averted her gaze once again with the same air of sadness that had made Alice curious in the first place.
Does she not wish to be here?
Her attention was quickly drawn back to Lady Ashby again as she reached for a cane beside her chair and stood with a great deal of effort.
“Our housekeeper will be in shortly to take you both to your lodgings. It is now time for my afternoon tea, and I prefer to be alone when I take it.” She lifted her chin in the air again and walked from the room.
“Are you sad, Miss Cecily?” Clara asked just as the older woman left the room.
“Clara, we must not ask such personal questions,” Alice reprimanded her before turning back toward Cecily. “I must apologize, Miss Clara often speaks what is on her mind.”
To Alice’s great surprise, she smiled, although the gesture did not quite reach her eyes as she bent over slightly and looked Clara in the eyes. “What makes you think that I am sad?”
Clara shrugged. “You just seem sad.”
The corners of Cecily’s mouth lifted as she let out a low breath. “Perhaps I am, or perhaps my aunt just does not approve of smiling. I think she may just lock me away in a tower if I dared show enjoyment.”
“Like in a story,” Clara giggled.
Cecily’s eyes saddened again despite her efforts. “Something like that.”
Is she here against her will?
Alice began to wonder more about the girl and why it was that she was at Ashby Park. Mary had not mentioned her to Alice, making her wonder if her arrival had not been planned. Not that Mary had mentioned everyone in the house, but it did seem strange that she had not been mentioned at all.
Placing her hands on her knees, Cecily pushed herself up.
“I know, instead of allowing the horrid housekeeper to show to your chambers, why do I not show you? Would that not be better?” She asked kindly, making Alice warm to her even further.
She had seemed so cold and distant at first, but Alice could see that there was more hurt behind her eyes than she was letting on.
Just like me.
She swallowed hard again as she wondered what Lady Ashby would think and say if she knew that Edmund had been implicated in a scandal. Alice knew in her heart that he had been innocent, yet all of London had exploded with rumors of fraudulent business dealings and money that had been stolen.
It pained her greatly that there was nothing more that she could do to restore his name. It was a miracle in itself that she had gotten the position in the first place. There was not a house in London that would welcome her in after the rumors had begun to spread.
While Clara began to chatter away with Cecily, Alice averted her gaze and looked out the window at the grounds beyond. Ashby Park was a large estate, large enough to get lost in. Yet it was something else that drew her attention beyond the parlor.
A tall man with muscular shoulders and a straight bearing walked in the distance, his back rigidly straight despite the slight limp in his gait. His hair was dark and slightly shorter than what was fashionable for men. At his side walked a small boy who seemed to be at least five or six years old.
The scene was utterly peaceful, and Alice could not help but wonder if that would be her and Clara in time, and who the man and boy were.
Would this be the home where they could settle, or would the past chase her down and force them to move again before they were ready?
Her heart felt heavy as she turned back to her daughter. There was nothing more that she wanted in life than to provide her daughter with a stable home and a loving family.
Would Ashby Park become their home, or just another place they would need to flee?